Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was heading to Washington on Sunday for an official visit to discuss the war, amid the crisis in relations between Israel and the White House. He will be meeting Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, CIA Director William Burns, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and others.
The minister described the trip and the most critical and challenging he had undertaken. “The meetings with the senior government officials are critical for the future of the war,” he said before boarding his flight.
“During these meetings I plan to discuss developments [on the southern and northern fronts], in Gaza and Lebanon,” he said. “We are prepared for any action that may be required in Gaza, Lebanon, and in additional areas.”
In the meetings, the officials will discuss the crisis of hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza after 261 days since the October massacre, the fighting in the Strip and the growing risk of all-out war in the north.
Hezbollah posted a video on Saturday, showing Hassan Nasrallah speaking with Hebrew subtitles. Nasrallah said if war is forced upon him, the Iran-backed terror group would fight "without limits" The clip also showed images taken by a Hezbollah drone of strategic targets in Haifa, first released last week.
Another critical matter Gallant will raise is the armaments Israel requires for its fighting and the delay in a shipment of bombs, held back by the Biden administration out of concern that they would be used in densely populated areas.
The minister will also be discussing the threats from Iran and its regional proxies and the advances made by Tehran toward nuclear capability.
Amid the threat of war in the north, the U.S. positioned its aircraft carrier the U.S.S. Eisenhower in the Mediterranean Sea, on its way back to its home base in Virginia after it was deployed to protect maritime traffic in the Red Sea. The carrier is currently off the coast of Port Said in Egypt and would be replaced by the U.S.S. Roosevelt making its way back from the Far East.
The deployment in the Med. is part of the American effort to deter Nasrallah from attacking Israel in a full-blown conflict, that could deteriorate to a regional war. The administration is seeking a diplomatic solution that would enable the tens of thousands of Israelis, displaced from their homes in northern Israel, to return.
This is Gallant's second visit to the U.S. since the war began on October 7. He is considered by the American officials as the responsible adult in the room, among Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right coalition and is thought to be trustworthy and dependable. His involvement has become more critical to the Americans after Benny Gantz resigned from his membership in the war cabinet earlier this month.
Tensions with Netanyahu have increased after he posted a video last week, claiming U.S. President Joe Biden was withholding military aid to Israel amid war. Despite the outrage over Netanyahu's remarks, senior administration officials said the U.S. would support Israel if the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon would escalate. They reportedly told visiting Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who was in Washington, that there would be no American boots on the ground but that the aid Israel would require to defend against Iran's largest proxy, would be forthcoming.